With the room filled with a steamy fog, Cor took teh opportunity to unlimber his dwarven throwers. Since Ulthok was using area effect magic, Cor wanted to stay clear and give him room to work. Making his way carefully and quietly 6 feet to his left, he waited for a break in the fog. He caught just a glimpse of the bhuts but not of the black robe. With new targets found, Cor let his throwers go at the nearest bhut.

OOC:Edited due to infravision info.

Lady Jessica, Paladin of Athena, said a silent blessing to her Goddess as she yanked her blade from the creature and it collapsed to the floor. She raised an eyebrow when she saw it change form to that of a teenage boy. She wondered briefly if these things were actually some kind of cursed creature, like a lycanthrope, or if they were just under some kind of spell which made them into these evil beasts.

She had no time to dwell on it though, she didn’t know how to cure them or remove any kind of spell, so the only way she had of stopping them was to destroy them. In any case, if they were being driven to evil by some other force, their death would release them from their evils deeds.

As she gripped her sword and turned to face the two remaining with her; she ignored the dancing one, not sure why it was doing that but she wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth as they say.

Suddenly there was a loud whooshing sound and the air was quickly filled with billowing smoke, no not smoke, some kind of warm moist mist. Steam? It obscured everything including her opponents. So be it, she wasn’t helpless, and she had trained for just such situations.

Jessica, closed her eyes as she couldn’t see the creatures anyway, and relied more on her training. She knew the last known location of the creatures, she had been looking at them as the steam rolled in. She used her other senses now, her hearing, her smell, taking in all she could other than sight, she lashed out with her sword towards the nearest creature’s location. (Blind-fighting, of course)

The she beast before him looked shocked as the two blades found their mark and were in her mouth. Maggot gave a slight smile and pushed forward slightly and then removed them outward to the left and right. Maggot then stood open armed ready to see if the beast would now fall or require more of the same.

Although still haunted by the recent discovery of the true nature of the Bhuts misleading appearance, Lothor knew that he could not keep up his defensive efforts for long. His friends were in trouble and from the sounds echoing down the hallway from the common room things were getting desperate in there. For now Lothor would have to grit his teeth and push his morals to one side. He may have to kill a few more of these obscure creatures, but now that he knew their true nature he could find out how or if they could be saved.

Lothor parried the attacks of the Bhuts and waited for an opportunity to attack. The quicker the terrible task was over, the quicker he could try and save others like them. With a deep growl of frustration Lothor bought back his sword and attempted to strike his all too Human foes.

The world had slowed. Or maybe it was her? Maybe she had slowed, and the world had learnt to skip and sprint and run right past her? Every colour seemed brighter; so bright that she had to close her eyes, and, when she opened them again, she found herself somewhere else. A dark ichorous liquid raised to her lips; gyrating bodies and rotating hips; music that pounded seductively and drilled into her core; the taste of another’s breath in her mouth; the weird feeling of inertia as her body melded into another’s. The scenes rolled past one after the other: disjointed, unconnected. She tried to recall the gaps in between, but she couldn’t. And, in trying to grapple with that darkness, she found that her eyes would no longer reopen. She found herself dissolving into dark oblivion.

‘…need a little love to ease the pain.’

Sweetly sung words echoed through her mind. Words she had once sung, she recalled.

“Yes,” a sonorous voice intoned, and then re-intoned, reverberating like a million voices layered one upon the other.

It scared her.

“What is your purpose?”

She tried to remember. An orphaned girl, haunted by the trickle of liquid between her legs that accompanied each nightmare? A rebellious adolescent who had run off to adventure and live and love among humans? The seeress, feared by her own kind because the fey ran to deep in her blood? A grief-stricken women, unable to come to terms with those that were loved and now lost? A force of nature, a true mistress of the arcane, forced to kill and kill until the blood ran so deep that she no longer knew which belonged to her enemies and which to her friends; until parts of her enjoyed the killing? Had they all been her? Had they all been real?

“No, your purpose!”

It nagged at her. A dream of a sword? A mountain? But she had done that, and lost so much in return.

“There is more to do …“ The voice grew a face, beautiful in its fragile melancholia, imprisoned in rock and a ruin.

“Now get up!”
Sirène awoke with a start. The sheets on her bed were damp with sweat. The bed rocking with the soft snoring of a half-elf – a boy really – lying naked beside her. Around her she could see her belongings, discarded in the previous evening’s passion. Or at least what she thought was passion. Her breath was thick with the smell of feywine, and her senses still felt dulled.

“Mani marte … ?” The question died half-formed on her lips, smothered by an inhuman, hunger-filled scream that tore through the house she was sharing with her companions.

Sirène rose unsteadily and staggered towards the door. Her head pounded with the previous night’s excess, what sounded like battle downstairs, and fading embers of a vivid dream. ”There is more to do” a voice in her mind still whispered, but, try as she might, she could no longer remember its context.

“Rhaich,” she cursed as she felt a torrent of vomit raging up her throat. The moment passed, and she decided, wisely, to mutter some words that would get her into some sort of fighting shape.

[Neutralize Poison on self]

A few moments later Sirène slipped out of her room; almost naked except for a few pieces of jewellery and a thin diaphanous shift that did little to hide the swell of her breasts or flare or her hips. The light from the floor below cast shadows up the stairs, of a man keeping a horde of demons at bay. She crept down and found that the shadows had only exaggerated their numbers of actors but not their form. The creatures were hideous – all scales, cruel claws and gaping maws – and Lothor stood alone.

“I’m with you,” Sirène whispered reassuringly, hoping that Lothor’s desperate stand was not a sign the others had fallen. “Russe tuulo' moriloomir, eht’en templa” she added, causing the intricate tattoos upon her forehead and back to burst into a vibrant blue…


OOC: “Mani marte” = “What happened”

Sirène will cast a lightning bolt 10’ wide and 40’ long at the bhuts attacking Lothor. The bolt will start directly above the bhuts (and hopefully rebound to catch them a second time). Sirène will try to avoid catching Lothor in the blast while (hopefully) catching all 3 bhuts. And, it is, of course, 20d6 damage on failed save (10d6 on a successful one).

Rayne briefly noted the first Bhut to fall, and registered that allw as not as it seemed when the bdy transformed into that of a human. she knew that she hadto eleminate the number og attackers she was gacing by the simple method of focusing her stacks in the weakest of them. In this case it was the one she had just wounded, she oncentrated her attacks on the one wounded bhut until it frops and then moving to the next.

Manuvering as best a spossible to keep the fewest of the bhuts, ot tranformed humans, Raynr stayed focused on the attacks. If she can see a vlear spot and cane make a jimp she will utilized her swords unique ability. to gain whatever advantage she can get to get away to a more defendable place in the kitch that would limit there ability to all come against her at once. Howver she knew she had to avaoid giving them free attacks against her if she did jump.

Ulthok couldn’t believe the luck. Who’d have thought Cor would cast fire just as he cast cold. Ablanket of steam filled the room. The heat of the steam prevented he from seeing a clear image of the Black Robe but it did provide cover for the party. “ Everyone..quick everyone to the kitchen…..Peri, show the lady knight the way………Jessica... watch for cute flying thing and follow her.”

Ulthok could catch glimpses of his friend starting to move, but not all of them. Hoping to use the steam to help slow the Black Robe, the mage pulled is wand of frost and cast another cone of cold into the area where the Black Robe had been. The cone should expand enough to catch the Black Robe and the steam should freeze around him.

THE MANOR ( Dinning Room )
With the main dinning room encased if a fog of hot wet steam the only one of the party able to act in melee this round was Jessica. Relaying on her ability of Blind Fighting she listened then attacked scoring a solid hit on the nearest of the Bhuts to her. Feeling her sword dig deep she was yet unable to see how much damage she had done. With no returning Bhut attacks coming anywhere close to her, for now she was at a huge advantage in this fight.

As Cor waited for an opening or the fog to dissipate at first all he could do was wait, his axe divided into throwers. However, a brief glimpse of something in the fog caused him to release! Within seconds both the axes were in back his hands, no sigh of having hit anything.

As the last of the party able to do anything with such a heavy fog Ulthok, acted. A wand to hand he once again launched a Cone of Cold towards the last known position of the Black Robe but it hit nothing. In fact, it continued to the dinning room’s far wall causing it and the air traveled through to become a thick wall of unbalanced ice. Cor was lucky this time for if he had not moved those 6 feet he would have easily been hit once more by friendly fire.


THE MANOR ( Hallway )
Lothor’s moral compass in this fight was clearly a vulnerability the big fighter did not need as he continued to defend rather then attack. He knew that for him to keep defending would not help the rest of his companions in the main dinning hall. As he had almost convinced himself to become more aggressive, his choice was made for him as a thin yet well guided Lightening Bolt streaked over his shoulder to slam into two of the last three Bhuts. The first Bhut saw the magic bolt headed towards it and tried to dodge but was unable to do so as its laughing ally was in the way. As the bolt hit him then went through to hit his laughing friend it managed to miss the third Bhut completely causing it to ricochet back into the laughing one a second time. With so much damage in so short a time the laughing Bhut dropped it to the floor dead its true features hidden under hideously burnt skin. The smell of barbeque in the air.

For Lothor this was no time to stand and continue to defend and the human fighter knew it. Moving fast he once more brought the great sword in a fast hard swing and slammed it deep into the weakened first Bhut’s side. As this one joined the other Bhuts in death it was revealed as a mid teenage girl, her lovely blonde hair and a matching face locked in death. A quick glance behind him to see who had helped, left him open to attack as he stopped mid step in surprise. There standing on the Manor’s stairway was Sirene unlike he had ever seen the beautiful Elf before and being a man her lack of clothing paused him but for only a second, however that was all the Bhut needed as a claw slammed into Lothor’s waist.

No longer was Sirene his focus as he turned to defend himself once more, sword ready.

THE MANOR ( Kitchen Hallway )
Rayne was now only facing two Bhuts having killed one with her last series of attacks and the other yet in the kitchen this round. However these two were mad, charged her disregarding their own safety, and managed to gain two of six hits upon her. A claw to her face and a second to her arm, both painful and bloody. However, in return she was able to gain a clear hit vs. the one to her left causing it to fall back a few feet. Her target clearly picked for next round she moved once more into the attack.

THE MANOR ( Kitchen )
Valene having seen her chance with the coming of the fog to gain a better defensive spot and being the only one of the party to actually listen to Ulthoks yell, did so. Calling to her Onyx dog, and using her Boots of Speed she quickly made a full move half, finding herself in the kitchen face to face with an arrow wounded Bhut. No time for a spell, to her hands came her two +3 daggers and into the Bhuts face they struck. Digging deep, they blinded it, then killed it, as it fell to the floor dead, turning into an aged old man of easily eighty. Hearing the sound of yet another fight beyond the kitchens walls, she moved towards it followed by her arriving companion.

SOMEWHERE OUTSIDE THE WALLS
With the little girl, turned monster embedded on both of Weavers blades it was a rather simple thing for the Ranger/Bard to reverse his thrusts and free his blades through each side of the creatures throat. As he watched her look at him in disbelief she slowly fall to the ground once more becoming a little girl this time leaving no doubt she was dead. Weaver 1 bad guys 0..........

(DM OOC: Ok everyone here’s my post sorry for the weeks delay. Next post next Sunday as norm. Round 6 is up )

As Lothor was about to swing at his strange enemies once more he flinched at the familiar odd feeling that surrounded him when magic occurred. Two lightning arrows flashed past and sunk into the flesh of the now disorganised and grotesque abominations. He turned to look at his apparent rescuer and regretted it immediately.

Sirene looked gorgeous in the dim light of the hallway, the shadows highlighting the curves of her partially naked body. Lothor had always been a sucker for a pretty face, let alone the full figure of a beautiful Elf!

When a claw sank into his side he whipped his head back around and his hair fell in his eyes. He cursed himself a fool for being so idiotic as to stare at the fair elf, what must she think of him? His embarrassment had hidden the pain in his side and he grimaced as it kicked in. Lothor tried to clear his head of the the pain, embarrassment and most difficultly the image of Sirene standing there, bow in hand, hair strewn and wondrous!

Nevertheless he was still quick enough to rebuff the creatures attack and his sword again struck dead flesh and more crimson blood stained his steel armour, even flicking onto his face this time as the drops sprayed with greater velocity as he wrenched his sword free, he was hoping he was creating a good impression on Sirene. He would have to do his best to impress her. He hefted back his sword with more strength and vigour, he felt as though he had more energy now than he did when the fight started.

The blinding flash of the lightning bolt set everything into stark relief – the surprise of the monstrous creatures as their flesh blistered and caught fire, the silhouette of a sword as it smashed through scale and bone. But, it was the brief, inscrutable glance that Lothor threw over his shoulder that caught Sirène’s attention. His eyes briefly locked on hers in, what seemed to the elven enchantress, an odd mix of shock, desire and shame.

‘What?’ Sirène wondered, her right hand unconsciously beginning to smooth her ruffled hair. ‘I doubt you look your best when you’re just out of bed either,’ she added, misinterpreting the gesture entirely.

A few moments later, she was ready to cast another spell.


OOC: Sirène will cast Magic Missile at the Bhut attacking Lothor. If Lothor kills the critter before the spell goes off, she’ll change that to a Cure Light Wounds on Lothor.

Peri fluttered invisibly near the fighting lady. From across the room she heard her companion’s voice, “ Everyone..quick everyone to the kitchen…..Peri, show the lady knight the way………Jessica... watch for cute flying thing and follow her.”

“ A cute flying… THING?” Peri mused. “Well at least he did call me cute.”
Floating up just above Jessica’s head, out of reach of the Bhuts, Peri said, “Lady Knight”as she appeared close enough for Jessica to see, “this way to the kitchen, be careful not to trip and watch out for more of those ugly thingies in the kitchen.” Through the stream Peri flew toward the kitchen doors.

“ Everyone..quick everyone to the kitchen…..Peri, show the lady knight the way………Jessica... watch for cute flying thing and follow her.”
Lady Jessica smiled as she felt her blade bite into another one of these creatures; she couldn’t tell how bad it was hurt but it had felt like a solid hit. She heard someone yelling to move to the kitchen; she wasn’t sure where that was in this thick fog. Cute flying thing?

“Lady Knight, this way to the kitchen, be careful not to trip and watch out for more of those ugly thingies in the kitchen.”
The voice came from above her, Jessica looked up and her eyes widened slightly. A small dragon kin was hovering there and speaking to her. She wondered if this was the ‘Cute thing’ she was to follow; not sure she would call it cute but it was speaking to her.

As the little dragon flew away, Jessica followed staying on guard and stepping carefully. She kept her sword ready and figured that if she couldn’t see the things then they couldn’t see her; their last attempt at attacking her had proven that they were as blind as everyone else in this fog.

(OOC: She is moving, following Peri. Reserving her attack and if any of the creatures pops out of the fog she will strike.)

As the thing falls to the muddy ground Maggot moves to one knee and watches the lifeless body. There is no doubt this time it is dead. Maggot turns his head and looks over a shoulder at the other two still working at the wall. They have not yet noticed their friend’s sudden lack of life. It was then, from inside the city the sound of battle changed slightly. Maggot watched as the two near the wall paused in what there were doing and glanced up. The wall guards were on high alert, those that had not gone to join the battle that is. Maggot smiled to himself ‘two birds with one stone and my friends inside will see what is tapping on the side door,’ Maggot prepared.

Finding in his hands now were a bit of fur and an amber rod, the Ranger, Bard begins to whisper in an ancient tongue. He can feel the magic spin around him. There is a flash of light and then a cracking sound.

OOC: Maggot is casting ‘Lightening Bolt’ the bolt will start far enough in front of Maggot as to travel the distance to strike both of them (keeping in mind he can line up a shot to hit them both). If this task is beyond all probability he will line up a shot as to hit one of them and not strike the wall.

The steam was covering the room even after the cone of cold could have cooled some of the steam. As he contemplated his next move he could hear the sounds of fighting then a flash of light and the sound of a lightning bolt came from the manor hall.

Reaching out his thought, ”Peri, what did you see in the hall as you flew down here?”
The small voice came to his mind, Just some more of those ugly thingies and the tall fighter man. He needed some help so I made one of the thingies dance.
Now does he follow his own advice and treat to the kitchen or go into the hall to help Lothor or try again to kill the Black Mage?

Listening intently he could hear the Mage or tell where it had been. The foot falls of the Halfling cleric told him Valene had made her way to the kitchen. The flutter of wings told him Peri too was heading to the kitchen.

”Ok there it is. “Cor, quick let’s get out of here while we can….. to the kitchen.” Knowing the Dwarv could handle himself Ulthok made his way through the steam to the kitchen behind his other friends.

As Ulthok moved toward the kitchen he remember the elemental that had been moving on Valene was over near the windows. Knowing Cor would stay to the inside wall and the others were behind him already, Ulthok pointed him wand of frost to were it may be and once more cast out a cone of cold in hopes of capturing the elemental.

(O.O.C., Ulthok is invisible as goes to the kitchen.)

THE MANOR (Dinning Room)
The battle for the main dining area was now into its sixth round and the steam fog was beginning to quickly dissipate. For the Lady Jessica this was a boon as she saw that her last set of attacks had killed one of the remaining Bhuts before her and that a third lay also dead at her feet. This Bhut dead by a pair of huge force slammed rips in its chest, was clearly not dead of her blade. With these three dead, the only remaining Bhut before her was the dancing one and as it continued to dance. The Lady Jessica, a Paladin in good standing with her god and faith, could not attack this last helpless Bhut, so stood unsure of what to do next. Then a choice was given to her as Ulthok’s voice rang out…

“Everyone… quick everyone to the kitchen…..Peri, show the lady knight the way…Jessica... watch for cute flying thing and follow her.”

With the ‘cute flying thing’, clearly the butterfly type dragon before her she moved towards the kitchen in its wake.

Cor, having stood his ground within the fog of steam and having taken a risk by throwing his axes watched as the Lady Jessica made her retreat on the Halflings voice and moved to follow. Passing the still dancing Bhut, the Dwarf Knight Cleric though not constrained by the same morals as that of the female Paladin was still of lawful good and nobility. Grabbing the creature by its side the strong Dwarf lifted and threw the Bhut into the center of the room. With Cor, watching on the move and Ulthok watching from his place at the door the Bhut landed beside the now visible dead body of the Black Robe. Killed two rounds before in the combined explosion of fire and ice. As the last of the Bhuts in the dinning room once more gained it’s feet, Ulthok watched as the last of the three Air Elementals rose up behind the Bhut and attacked it!. The Halfling Thief/Mage never one to miss a target of opportunity and not held back by alignment or any type of code other then self-preservation. Lifting the Wand yet held in his hand he commanded yet another Cone of Cold at the last two remaining enemies and watched as both were flash frozen to death. In this way did Ulthok end the battle in the main dinning room.

THE MANOR (Hallway)
For Lothor going from facing four undead looking creatures by himself to facing only one along side a beautiful half-naked Elf, the night was certainly looking up. In no way had he ever thought to be in this type of fight but was honestly not unhappy it was so. With Sirene beside him, one Bhut to go a combination of steel and spell, and the fight was quickly over. The main hallway once more secure.

THE MANOR ( Kitchen Hallway )
As Rayne moved to the attack she was faced by only two of the four Bhuts she had been at the beginning of this fight. Her sword a blur of steel she easily cut the creature before her before the second could attack. However as she turned to deal with her second attacker while the first reeled backward Valene’s voice yelled at her from the kitchen area.

“Rayne drop to the floor!”

As Rayne dropped to the floor she watched as Valene, a wand in hand, mouthed a word, pointed the wand and a series of five greenish arrows streaked to hit the second of the two Bhuts. This one wounded by Rayne just seconds before was hit dead center in its face and throat. The arrows clearly made of acid melting the head and upper shoulders into a large pool of sludge. Still on the floor, she continued to watch as a black streak of fur and claws leaped over her and slammed into the last remaining Bhut. In a matter of minutes with help from Valene, and Valene’s onyx dog the fight was over, the kitchen and kitchen hallway secure once more.

SOMEWHERE OUTSIDE THE WALLS
With his first opponent dead and with two more to go Weaver knew he had to do something quick. With sounds of battle from inside the fortress walls, seemingly increasing Weaver had no time to be stealthy any longer. On top of everything else whatever these three creatures were, doing to the base of this outer wall was surely not good; he needed to give warning to the guards above. Zeroing in on the other two human/monster creatures before him he smiled to himself as he cast forth a Lightening Bolt, watching as it was dead on target slamming into the two enemies before him. Moving in fast his sword in hand, he watched as both stood up their cloaks and the clothes smoking, skin shredded, blood flash fried to their bodies but not dead. All of them, the two Bhuts and Weaver could now easily hear an alarm quickly being raised by the guards above, As Weaver moved in and the first of the Bhuts moved to face him, it no longer looking human, the second moved away. The next two rounds were a flurry of attack and defense as the Ranger/Bard slew the Bhut before him. Moving to engage the second, he rushed forward only to find the creature smiling as he drew close. It spoke as Weaver drew back to strike.

“Ara tat mora”

For Weaver caught up in a blinding flash of sound, flame, and exploding wall the night became black, conciseness gone.

18 HOURS LATER
For the party the end of the battle within the Manor’s walls were only a prelude to a battle-filled day. With the destruction of the outer wall, a wave of Black Robed led Orcs’s Goblins, Bugbears and many more creatures of evil rushed forward. Meant to take the fortress by surprise, the interior attacks a series of deadly diversions, they instead found a readied force of arms facing them. If not for the warning of a single unidentified person this attack would have easily breached its way to the inner walls and the heart of the fortress beyond. The next twelve hours was among the fiercest fighting to date as Man, Elf, Dwarf and the party along with various members of the good races fought this dark wave to a halt, then a retreat.

It was then in the late afternoon following this fight that removers of the dead spotted a large wolf digging at a plot of stones. Upon inspection, they found at first what was thought to be a dead body but were in fact very much alive. Realizing that this could very well be the benefactor from the night before, the body was rushed to the main medical area within the fortress for healing.

Meanwhile for the party now recovering from the night’s ordeal it was all about rest and healing as Valene Cor and Rayne moved among both the party and surviving guards and servants healing as much as they could. With both dark army and the armies of good recovering things for the moment were quiet.

TWO DAYS LATER
Ulthok and Cor had been called once again before a council of surviving Kings, the raid by the Black Robed led Bhuts then the fighting at the outer wall having taken the lives of two of them and a prince. King Leoplode of Eshmara, King Gerald of Mya-sith and his son Prince Philipe all killed fighting to defend the fortress within. Standing before this council of nobility the two most senior members of the party were asked to give their account of the night and their thoughts about it. Here they learned that the Black Robed wizards were all clones of the same person created using the deepest of the dark arts. At the meetings end by order of King Maridynn two new party members were assigned to them to bolster the party’s ranks and ability to heal and fight in case of another such raid. These were the female Elf Cleric Amara Lania’Drian and her Half-Elf sister, the Fighter/Mage Aliya Moonshadow. Both women top notch in skill and purpose. The King after introducing them all left the four of them to return to a slowly recovering manor house.

However Cor being Cor decided to first make a stop at the main hospital to see if he could render a bit of aid and followed by the parties new Cleric, her sister, and Ulthok, he and they, did just that.............

(DM OOC: Ok here‘s this weeks post I hope you all enjoy it. Welcome to SilentOne, Astrid, and SirSadaar as the new Cor. I hope you three will have fun and enjoy my game as much as I, and I hope the other players do. Feel free to start posting.

Ok just a reminder there are only 3 more Sunday posts coming from me before I leave for 2 weeks to Maryland. As such, I will not start anything-major game wise until my return so these next 3 weeks is a great time for everyone to get to know the new characters and players with game related RP. Ok then next post next Sunday the 19th.

Also an apology to you, the players, for putting the game on hiatus for those brief two days. Due to events on the Inn and RL early in the week, I fell into a fast semi-deep depression and was ready to trash Trilogy and walk away from the Inn. However thanks to positive reinforcement by a very special friend and former fellow Mod on here and the excitement of Silent and Astrid wanting to join reminding me of what the Inn and most of the people here mean to me. I decided to just say goodbye to this depression and thoughts of ending Trilogy and move forward. I really believe with the changes forced to the game this past week that it will be much more enjoyable for all of us.
So of course GAME ON!!
Almost forget feel free to back post as needed